Meat-clamp.



ROBERT D. LARCADE, F MUSKG-EE, OKLAHOMA.

MEAT-CLAMR Laeaessl Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Miata'.26, d ilit.

Application il'ed'January 29, 1917. Serial No. 145,184.

' To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ronlrr D. LARCADE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Muskogee, in the county of Muskogee, State of Oklahoma,'have invented certain new and useful improvements in Meat-Clamps; and ldo hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the Same. y

This invention relates to meat clamps for butchers use. 1

The object of this invention is to provide an improved form ofadjustable clamp for holding meat iirmly upon a" butchers lock or othersupport, in order that-1t may be sliced, sawed or otherwise butchered.Tol

this end, I have provided a. clamping' arm which is rotatably andfirmlyA adjusted from one edge of the block, and is so arranged that itmay be firmly clamped upon the meat, and yet is readily and easily removable when it is desired to shift the meat or entirely dispense with the'clamping device. Amore particular object of the invention is to providean. improved form of locking device for the clamp, and also to socombine the clamp member and the Supporting member for the latter thatit may be readily positioned out of the way of the butcher withoutentirely removing the standard portion.

With the above objects in view and such others as may hereinafterappear, my invention will now be fully set forth and described,reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

n the drawings;u

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device mounted vupon a butchersblock,

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1,.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the clamping jawn-and Fig. 4 isa detail of the locking device.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 represents a butchersblock of the usual construction to one side of which is suitably bolteda vertical bearing bracket 2. A spindle 3 formed upon the lower end cfaStandard 4i is rotatably held in the bearing bracket and is adapted tobe fixed in adjustable position by means of the set bolt 5.

The standard Li4 consists of a rounded guide rib 6, a rack 7 and anintervening web S, the guide rib 6 extending upwardly beyond the web andrack portions to form thesupporting staff 9 with relation to which theupper ends of the web and rack forni a stop or support. Slidably mountedon the standard 4 is a jaw or clamping member l() whose rear end isprovided with the bearing` 11 whose internal structure conforms to thecross sectional outline of the rod (l, the rack 7 and the web S. Saidjaw 10 preferably formed asa comparatively broadv web or plate 12 whoseedges are provided with the downwardly extendingT flanges i5 which areeonoaved and provided with the marginal teeth or prongs 16.

FormedI vertically through the shank oi' the jaw 10 is an elongated slot17 adjacent whose longitudinal edges appear the wid -ened portions 18ofthe flanges 15,' said por- M tions 18 providing bearings for a` studlil upon which is pivoted' a lever 20. Said lever 2O is provided with afoot portion. 21 through which the stud 19 projects, and beyond the footportion 21 is provided with the reduced web 22 which'fits between thebifurcations formed in the rear end of a pawl 23, and is thereinpivotally sec ured by means of a rivet 24.' rThus, by reciting' thelever 20 upon its fulcrum. the pawl 23 may be carried into and out ofengagement with the teeth of the rack 7, said teeth beine' formed withthe short horizontal faces upon their lower sides, and thereby providethe abutments against which the end of the pawl locks. e

in the use of my improved device, standard 4 is primarily positioned inbracket 2, and is therein locked at ticular angle with relation to thebloc at which it is desired to extend the c ing arm or jaw 1G. After thestandard n been i'ixed, the jaw 10 may be positie upon the standard, insuch relation th pawl 23 operates over the teeth of the ii 7. After thejaw 10 has been pressed dous upon the meat as far as is practical. thelever 20 is lifted to its upper limit and the pawl engaged under thelowest practically available surface 25 after which the lever is againcarried downwardly against the jaw 10 thereby bracing the socket of thejaw upon the standard 4, and also causing,r the teeth of the jaw toenter into the meat to securely clamp the latter upon the bloeit. Whenitis desired to momentarily dispense with the jaw for the purpose ofshifting? i the meat, the jaw may be carried upwardly i' above the racklimit, so that it may be swung to the right or the left upon the staff9, and then allowed to rest upon the upper end of the rack 7 and the web8.

From the foregoing it is evident that I have provided a practical andefficient form of meat clamp which may be readily pieces of meat maybereadily held in position, as well as smaller pieces, so that the usualshifting and sliding oit' the meat upon the butchers block is avoided.yvThere is little mechanism to the presenty device, in

that it consists of practically only two read-i ily removable anddisassembled velements which take of operation. l 4 t The lever 20 willhold the clamp in any position upon the standard 6, whether thrown downinto the position of Fig. 1 or is in its upraised or unlocked position.

AFurthermore, the lever 2O not 'only rigidly llocks the clamp, 'but'sets or wedges it down upon the meat when put into locking position.

It will be noted that the pawl 23 and lever 20 form together a togglelever one member of which constitutes the pawl 23 and the other memberof which is continued lup little room when placed out by the jaw incoperative relation with the naeoea beyond the pivot to overlie the jaw.The advantage of the use of, a toggle lever is that the tendency ofupward movement of the jaw holds the pawl engaged and Aat` may be swungfreely `a rack associated with the standard and beyond which thestandard projects to form a .pivot pin, a clamping j W mounted upon thestandard and rotatable with re? spect to that portion beyond the 4rackupon` said pivot pin and slidable with respect ,to

the standard and rack, and means carried rack for holding the jaw.against sliding movement in one direction, the rack Vbeing arranged .tohold the jaw against rotation on the standard when engaged with'the rack.and to supportth'e jaw when upon the standard beyond the rack.

Intestimony whe eof, I affix my signature, in thepresence of twowitnesses.

f ROBERT D. LARCADE; Witnesses: Y

' C. EL MGLEES, i J. W.\HAIE.

pressed more .firmly

